In memory and honor of one very special cat.. how Edward J. Nichols, DVM, Crestway Animal Clinic, San Antonio, Texas, treated Suki. Read Suki's Story.
"Every time somebody tries to stifle speech, they end up advertising it."
-- Bruce Rogow, law professor
On July 21, 2005, Edward J. Nichols, DVM, Crestway Animal Clinic, San Antonio, Texas, filed a lawsuit against the owner of this site, seeking a permanent injunction to dismantle vetabusenetwork.com and enjoin me from expressing my opinions about him and his treatment of Suki.
ichols FAILED to get an injunction against me or this site (see order denying injunction here)
Nichols FAILED AGAIN on appeal (see 4th COA decision here)
After 2 1/2 years of litigation, this matter was set for trial on March 10, 2008.
A settlement announcement was made in Bexar County District Court, and
THIS CASE WAS DISMISSED WITH FINALITY ON MARCH 10, 2008.
Nancy Deas and Edna Deas are the owners of www.aligus.com. In March 2005, they were the first ones that we know of to be sued by a veterinarian (Kevin Monce, DVM, DACVIM, North Carolina) for the comments about him on their site in conjunction with the death of their dog Alex and the handling of their complaint by the North Carolina veterinary board.
After 2 1/2 years of litigation, this matter was set for trial the week of October 26, 2007.
The vet withdrew his lawsuit on October 22, 2007.
The case was terminated with finality on November 13, 2007.
Rest in peace, Suki, Alex, and Gus.
We will monitor ongoing litigation by vets against their own clients. If you have a story to share about vets who are filing lawsuits and/or attempting to obtain injunctions against former clients sharing their experiences, contact me.
Have you been sued by your former vet or any other vet?
Please let us know and we will post the information here.
We are especially interested in lawsuits that have been filed against victims for filing complaints with their state veterinary board, for speaking out at public meetings, or for testifying to legislative or government entities.
The public has the right to know.
2008
TEXAS
January 2008. Lawsuit filed by Spring veterinarian against owner of website www.veterinariancrueltyexposed.org. More info to follow.
2007
TEXAS
Defamation counterclaim filed against owners who sued them for malpractice. More info to follow.
OKLAHOMA
July, 2007. Lawsuit filed by Bernard Hecht, DVM, Tulsa, Oklahama, against Bruce Begley. No injunction served.
Begley files counterclaim against Hecht for damages.
2006
TEXAS
November 2006 . http://bobobear.bravehost.com/ Lawsuit filed by David Faulkner, DVM, Amarillo, Texas, November 2006, against Betty Garrity. No injunction served.
There has been no apparent activity on this lawsuit for more than a year.
2005
TEXAS
July, 2005. www.vetabusenetwork.com Lawsuit filed by Edward J. Nichols, DVM, and Edward J. Nichols. d.b.a. Crestway Animal Clinic, San Antonio, Texas, against Julie Catalano. Temporary restraining order and injunction served. TRO expired 14 days after service; Nichols' injunction was denied by the court.
July 21, 2005 - Nichols serves Catalano with notice of temporary restraining order and petition, demanding immediate removal of all content that contains his name, the name of Crestway Animal Clinic, and all references to his treatment of Suki from the website vetabusenetwork.com.
July 28, 2005 - Hearing on temporary injunction. Trial court denies Nichols' motion for temporary injunction.
February 6, 2006 - Nichols appeals that order
September 13, 2006 - Fourth Court of Appeals decision. Appeals court affirms lower court's decision - Nichols loses appeal. Judgment entered against Nichols.
2005- 2008. Ongoing lawsuit seeks to obtain permanent injunction against Catalano to dismantle vetabusenetwork.com and enjoin future speech that would prevent her from expressing opinions about Nichols, Crestway Animal Clinic, or his treatment of Suki the cat.
UPDATE!
March 10, 2008 - Case set for trial in Bexar County, Texas, District Court.
A settlement announcement was made in Bexar County District Court, and
THIS CASE WAS DISMISSED WITH FINALITY ON MARCH 10, 2008.
For more details on this lawsuit, see What Happened to Suki...and What Happened to Me
NORTH CAROLINA
March, 2005. www.aligus.com Lawsuit filed by Kevin Monce, DVM, Cary, North Carolina, against Nancy Deas and Edna Deas, Raleigh, North Carolina. No injunction served.
March 2005. Monce serves Nancy Deas and Edna Deas with libel/defamation lawsuit. No temporary restraining order or injunction served.
UPDATE! October 22, 2007 -- KEVIN MONCE, DVM, WITHDRAWS LAWSUIT AGAINST NANCY DEAS AND EDNA DEAS.
The case was been terminated with finality on November 13, 2007.
Related:
CALIFORNIA
All-Care Lawsuits web site - Various lawsuits against clients filed by All-Care Animal Referral Center, Robert L. Rooks, DVM, and others, Fountain Valley, California
vetabusenetwork.com First Amendment section
Editorial: Why is the Free Speech Online Campaign Important?
![[Blue Ribbon Campaign icon]](http://www.eff.org/br/brstrip.gif){kind=small}
